5 minute EV Charging System announced by JFE Engineering Corp — But will it charge your Leaf?

JFE Engineering Corp disclosed the concept of the “super-rapid charging system,” which is being developed by the company, June 16, 2010, at Smart Grid Exhibition 2010 in Tokyo.

The system can charge the battery of a normal electric passenger vehicle to 50% capacity in three minutes and to 70% capacity in five minutes, which are much faster than the charging speeds of the existing charging systems for electric vehicles (EVs). Therefore, the new system is expected to enhance the convenience of EVs.

Rapid charging systems that have already been commercialized by some companies (up to 500V x 125A) are based on the “CHAdeMO,” a Japanese standard for EV rapid chargers, and are capable of charging an EV to about 80% capacity in 30 minutes.

However, because the new system proposed by JFE Engineering uses 500-600A of current, which is about five times higher than the current of the existing systems, it is not compatible with the CHAdeMO. Therefore, the new system cannot be used with Mitsubishi Motors Corp’s “i-MiEV,” Nissan Motor Co Ltd’s “Leaf” and other electric vehicles that support the CHAdeMO.